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Men's Basketball

Kentucky And 4 Other SEC Teams in Preseason Top 25: What You Need To Know

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UK Athletics

The Wildcats being preseason ranked by the Associated Press isn’t something that is too unfamiliar to Cats fans, specifically this year being the #4 team in the country.

Yet, the SEC continues to improve and is as good as ever with 5 teams in the Top 25, tied for the most of any conference.

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With that said, let’s talk about Kentucky’s competition for the SEC and some players we need to know about each team.

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Arkansas Razorbacks

Eric Musselman has shown out with his impressive recruiting tactics in recent years, which has led him and the Razorbacks to two straight tournament appearances, including an Elite Eight last year. Yet, this year he is bringing in his best class.

According to 247 Sports, Arkansas’s incoming class is ranked 2nd overall, led by 6 incoming freshmen (three Top 25 commits) and 5 transfers. Nick Smith is the name to remember, a top 5 recruit anywhere you look, who will be paired with junior guard Davonte Davis, who averaged a little under 9 points a year ago.

Arkansas has as deep a team as anyone in the country and has the talent to be a national title threat.

Tennessee Volunteers

Right behind the Razorbacks, the Tennessee Volunteers are ranked No. 11 in the preseason AP poll. Unlike Arkansas, Tennessee will rely on its experience this year.

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Returnees Santiago Vescovi, Josiah-Jordan James, and Zakai Zeigler, were all three named on All-SEC teams, with Vescovi as one of the guard spots on the first team.

Rick Barnes will experience some offensive drop-off after losing Kennedy Chandler to the NBA Draft last year, but not as much as other teams in the SEC would hope. The Vols will pair their three preseason All-SEC shot creators with senior big men Uros Plasvic and Olivier Nkahhoua to put them in a spot to contend for a Final Four this season.

Auburn Tigers

The defending SEC regular season champs are ranked as the No. 15 team coming into this season, but lost star players Jabari Smith and Walker Kessler to the NBA Draft.

The Tigers don’t bring in a lot of freshman talent but do have five-star big, Yohan Traore, coming in. The bigger news for Auburn this basketball offseason was the commit by Morehead State Forward Johni Broome, who will be a double-double machine.

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Returnees K.D. Johnson and Wendell Green will most likely lead the front court, but what stood out the most in Bruce Pearls’ eyes during the Israel trip Auburn took this past summer is Allen Flanigan.

Pearl has Flanigan, who is coming off of an Achilles injury, in an escalated role this season. A Tiger team led by Broome and company should have Bruce Pearl ecstatic for the upcoming year.

Alabama Crimson Tide

Rounding out the Top 25, Alabama is placed as the No. 20 team this year. Nate Oats has brought success to the basketball program in his tenure in Tuscaloosa and doesn’t plan on stopping.

Jahvon Quinerly, who is entering his fourth year of college ball, is the perfect floor general to lead what is the third-best recruiting class coming into this year according to 247 Sports.

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The name leading that recruiting class is Brandon Miller, a top-ten recruit. The 6-foot-8 forward is as versatile and efficient on offense as any player in the league. The Crimson Tide are also bringing in former Kentucky target, Jaden Bradley.

Nate Oats and his team have the talent and may have one of the highest ceilings in the conference if everything falls correctly. If so, the Crimson tide could cause some damage in the SEC.


The SEC is as competitive as ever. Even outside the five teams ranked in the Top 25, the SEC has teams like Texas A&M, Florida, and Missouri that could make a push for an NCAA Tournament appearance

In addition to a difficult non-conference schedule, the league as a whole will give the Cats nothing but good experiences and tough matchups that will prepare them enough in order to succeed in March.

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Men's Basketball

Amari Williams Picked 46th by the Boston Celtics in the 2025 NBA Draft

Amari Williams is the second Kentucky player selected in the 2025 NBA Draft, as Boston takes the big man with their second round pick.

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Amari Williams is drafted by the Boston Celtics.
Wesley Hale | Imagn Images

Fan-favorite big man (and official Weetabix sponsor) Amari Williams has officially made it to the big leagues, taken by the Boston Celtics with the 46th pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, via a trade with the Orlando Magic.

The selection makes Williams the second Wildcat to be scooped up from this year’s pool, following Koby Brea being picked by the Phoenix Suns just five picks earlier at the 41st spot. From Mark Pope’s first Kentucky team, two transfer athletes (thus far) in their last year of eligibility have achieved next-level dreams by way of the blue and white.

Williams, who averaged 11 points, nine rebounds, and three assists per game during his lone season in Lexington, will look to aid Boston in filling their recently vacant five-spot, left by the recently traded Kristaps Porzingis.

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As Wildcat fans surely know, not only can Williams battle with the best of them in the paint, but he can run the floor as efficiently as just about any guard, too. His versatility and sizable frame ensure a high ceiling in the NBA and, despite not every draft board seeing him selected, the league champions two years removed made the call when it mattered.

Hailing overseas from Nottingham, England, and spending his first four years of college basketball at the University of Drexel, Williams’ success is a testament not only to Kentucky Basketball’s immaculate tradition, but to his own incredible work ethic and intangible ability.

Cats fans will be sure to follow and support their point-center to the next level, as they always do. Go be great, Amari – all of BBN has your back.

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Men's Basketball

Koby Brea Selected to the Phoenix Suns With the No. 41 Overall Pick in the 2025 NBA Draft

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Tristan Pharis | KY Insider

Koby Brea arrived at Kentucky last season as one of the nation’s deadliest shooters, lived up to the billing, and reaped his rewards on Thursday night at the NBA Draft. The former Kentucky star is heading to the Phoenix Suns with the No. 41 overall pick

As a 6-foot-7 wing, Brea entered the 2025 NBA Draft as one of the most experienced prospects after spending four years at Dayton and a fifth at Kentucky during Mark Pope’s successful first season as head coach, where he became one of the best three-point shooters in all of college basketball.

Last season at Kentucky, the Bronx native averaged 11.6 points and 3.2 rebounds per game while shooting 43.5% from beyond the arc on nearly six attempts per game in 36 games, 16 of which were starts, showcasing his scoring ability in transition, off the catch, and via handoffs and screens.

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Not only did Brea achieve his own dreams of playing at the next level, but becomes a piece of history for Pope, becoming the first player drafted out of Kentucky during the Pope era.

Brea joins a rebuilding franchise with a notorious background for drafting Kentucky guards. Eric Bledsoe rings the bell, Tyler Ulis of course, and the Suns’ all-time leading scorer, Devin Booker obviously leads the pack.

Go be great Fuego!

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Men's Basketball

How a Call with Mark Pope Led Denzel Aberdeen to Kentucky

After winning a national title at Florida, Denzel Aberdeen committed to Kentucky without ever visiting campus—thanks to a revealing three-hour call with head coach Mark Pope.

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Chet White | UK Athletics

As a junior, Denzel Aberdeen was a key part of Florida’s national title run. But a certain phone conversation convinced him to leave his home state and head north to Lexington in hopes of experiencing that feeling once again.

He had never set foot in Lexington before deciding to become a Kentucky Wildcat — and he didn’t need to. All it took was one phone call — three hours long, on Easter Sunday — with head coach Mark Pope to convince him that he belonged in blue and white.

“Our phone call lasted about three hours, to be honest,” Aberdeen said, meeting with the media in Lexington for the first time earlier this week. “A lot of it was just getting to know me and getting to know the school, the university, getting to know him (Pope), how their style was, a lot of film. Once I saw that, I was like this looks like a great guy to play for.”

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The two went on to discuss Aberdeen’s role at Kentucky in more depth, including how Pope envisions him fitting into Kentucky’s new system — a system that, according to Aberdeen, is very similar, if not better than the one he just left.

“We had a lot of great players at Florida, especially the tall bigs. Bigs that love to run there, and we have just as much here; our bigs love to run, they play defense, and they play at a fast pace. So I think the things that we’ve got here are just as good, or even better,” Aberdeen said.

Averaging 7.7 points and nearly 20 minutes per game off the bench for the Gators last year, it’s clear to see what Aberdeen brings to the team: experience, versatility, calmness in the backcourt, and championship pedigree. Pope’s phone conversation with Aberdeen wasn’t just impactful on the court — it also speaks volumes to what he is doing off the court in pursuit of the goal he laid out in his introductory press conference: to hang banners.

This phone call wasn’t just about Denzel Aberdeen. It was a glimpse into Pope’s player-first, transparent coaching approach, which could define his era at Kentucky — and potentially make this season a special one, with Aberdeen playing another key role in a deep NCAA Tournament run.

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“I know the goal is to win No. 9,” he said. “I know the fans want that, we want that, all the staff and coaches want that. That pushes us. We know what we gotta do when we come here and put on that Kentucky jersey. Just playing for the University of Kentucky is a big thing. Being here is a blessing, and I can’t look back.”

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